Have been in removals and now realised that it’s time to slow down as back is starting to play up, the curse of moving heavy furniture.
I have now decided to obtain HGV licence obviously starting with class 2 and progressing to class 1. I have absolutely no experience in haulage industry and am 40 y.o. now, would like to receive advice/guidance on best ways to get into the industry. I have heard that it may be hard for the first 2 years to get good job offerings due to insurance/lack of experience. Any advice, links to articles would be greatly appreciated.
There’s some really good people on here and if you go onto Boards Index, New and Wannabes and find LGV training Tips…this a realy good thread to start with and you find posts from ROG and links he has created about starting up as HGV…also Pete Smythe seems to be Mr Wise on this forum with all the expereince he has…Pete has helped me make a few decision already as i am also a newbie.
Try companies like flour millers, food suppliers, etc. You’ll get to sit beside the regular drivers and then drive back. You’ll learn the routes and gain experience.
Welcome mate. I was in your shoes a 8 weeks back. Emails/cvs sent out a week after passing the last part of my cpc. Few hours pasted and nothing apart from a few automated replys. 5pm came and phone rang, unknown number. Now I never answer these but today I did and glad I did. As it was my now boss asking me to go for a drive and chat. After meeting him I offered to do 2 days driving with a driver beside me. On the Friday evening he rang me to tell me to pick my truck up Tuesday morning the job was mine. So there is hope mate. And I thing that with this cpc there will be more jobs coming up ask the old times won’t be sitting the cpc.
Hi, Im in the same sort of position as you. Have been a carpenter for the past 19 years and now want a change, (Im 35 now and really dont want to be up and down ladders in the snow and rain in my sixties). Ive always enjoyed driving so I`m giving it a go. Still waiting for my provisional to come back and then I can start booking theory test and training.
kg1979:
Hi, Im in the same sort of position as you. Have been a carpenter for the past 19 years and now want a change, (Im 35 now and really dont want to be up and down ladders in the snow and rain in my sixties). Ive always enjoyed driving so I`m giving it a go. Still waiting for my provisional to come back and then I can start booking theory test and training.
With your background you sound like a good candidate for builders merchant driver. With a chippy background, you’d have an understanding and rapport with customers straight away. I was a plant operator before I went onto tippers so there was a smooth and relatively easy transition. I felt like an agency driver for a while, doing my current job though.
I have thought about that connection but I think I have my heart set on driving artics rather than rigids with Hiabs. Wouldn`t mind delivering to supermarkets.
kg1979:
I have thought about that connection but I think I have my heart set on driving artics rather than rigids with Hiabs. Wouldn`t mind delivering to supermarkets.
Some builder do have artics or W&D it may be a way in for now then move onto supermarkets ( sometimes you have to help tip mind depends where & who you working for or which store
romik:
Hi all,
Have been in removals and now realised that it’s time to slow down as back is starting to play up, the curse of moving heavy furniture.
I have now decided to obtain HGV licence obviously starting with class 2 and progressing to class 1. I have absolutely no experience in haulage industry and am 40 y.o. now, would like to receive advice/guidance on best ways to get into the industry. I have heard that it may be hard for the first 2 years to get good job offerings due to insurance/lack of experience. Any advice, links to articles would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Welcome to the mad house
You will need a medical send off for your provisional then do theory & HPT not sure when you passed your test but if before 197 you wont need the mod 2 &4 but you will have to do 35 hr cpc "training " before you can drive
Find a decent provider that you are happy with go & visit them before you commit to any money please avoid brokers as they will charge you more phone more than 1 company up though
I will be doing my HGV & CPC with Atkins of Bradford. I do like the idea of working for food supply chains, but would miss the randomness of work flow if routes are always the same.
I currently work for a food service company. As soon as I passed I sent my cv off and was inundated. They tend to get through drivers because it’s quite hard graft but having done removals when I was at university you’ll find it a breeze.
I’d look at the following companies and see if they’re recruiting in depots near you:
P&H
Brakes
Warburtons
3663
Pay down here is around the 28-29k mark so probably about 25 up your way I would guess.
Also, just because they’re not advertising it doesn’t mean they aren’t recruiting. Pop your head round the door early morning and seek out the transport manager.
I did notice that the pay varies substantially, not just depending on areas, but companies in one area tend to value HGV work differently. I know someone who is on £7.6 p/h, Ok it’s C2, but with HIAB & holds FLT licence and massive experience. For some reason he said he thinks working weekends makes no sense, not sure how he worked it out, as most firms seem to pay x1.5+ weekly rate when working wekends.
elmet training:
Hi did you do an assessment drive with Atkins to determine course duration. It is worth doing a couple of assessments with different training schools?
Regards
Paul
I will be doing an assessment with them, as I will be doing C2 first and have driven 7.5t before I reckon I will be Ok with 16hrs for C2, C1 afterwards not sure, but will be clearer once I start driving those. I have been a professional driver for the last 10 years, so should adapt quickly IMO.
